The Best of Road Signs

[PHLBOS]

I've always liked this one, on the Mass Pike westbound near Chicopee.  Taken 4/18/15.

Hartford Ct. could (very unlikely but still a chance to be) possibly be misinterpreted as Hartford Court and not Hartford, Connecticut. State abbreviations should always be capitalized.

I believe the 2-letter state abbreviations being all CAPs on signs requirement (if such exists) came about years after that BGS was fabricated.

[spooky]

Also the chances of someone confusing that for Hartford Court isn't zero, but it's pretty damn close.

[bassoon1986]

I've always liked this one, on the Mass Pike westbound near Chicopee.  Taken 4/18/15.

Hartford Ct. could (very unlikely but still a chance to be) possibly be misinterpreted as Hartford Court and not Hartford, Connecticut. State abbreviations should always be capitalized.

I believe the 2-letter state abbreviations being all CAPs on signs requirement (if such exists) came about years after that BGS was fabricated.

Well if that's the case, there's been a "Carthage, Tex" on I-20's last westbound exit in Louisiana for a while. It's survived a recent sign replacement, too.

[TrevorB]

In the Memphis area, since there is a Jackson, Tennessee and Jackson, Mississippi within close distance, the state abbreviation is necessary. In Mississippi itself, I-55 southbound control city signage simply reads "Jackson". Tennessee writes it as "Jackson Miss", and Arkansas puts it as "Jackson Ms". If it were up to me, it would be "Jackson, MS"...but we can't always get what we want.

[kurumi]

I've always liked this one, on the Mass Pike westbound near Chicopee.  Taken 4/18/15.

That 33 looks like it should have a 136 next to it (see image 23 on the AARoads I-95 CT Norwalk page). Classic Connecticut "Phase III" signage that I think has been replaced on I-95 with newer black-on-white route markers. Never seen it in MA before.

[Mergingtraffic]

Here's some goodies that are still there in NJ.
Anybody want to guess the date?  Do you agree with the bridge as a control point?


and

[freebrickproductions]

A couple of goodies from Decatur, AL.
First off, here we have an old (erroneous) US 72 shield on Moulton Street near US 31:
Old US 72 Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Old US 72 Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Next, we have an old Advance Warning sign on McEntire Lane, just south of the crossing:
Old Advanced Warning Sign by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Old Advanced Warning Sign by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
http://www.rxrsignals.net/Alabama/Decatur/McEntire/

[Scott5114]

In the Memphis area, since there is a Jackson, Tennessee and Jackson, Mississippi within close distance, the state abbreviation is necessary. In Mississippi itself, I-55 southbound control city signage simply reads "Jackson". Tennessee writes it as "Jackson Miss", and Arkansas puts it as "Jackson Ms". If it were up to me, it would be "Jackson, MS"...but we can't always get what we want.

Missouri does this quite a bit, too, almost as if they think states get periodic table abbreviations. From Missouri, you can visit Fort Smith Ar and Tulsa Ok.

[national highway 1]

[kkt]

It's a good representative of that era in Caltrans signmaking... for both good and bad.  Like the freeway name.  Wish it had directions of travel, for people not from the area who aren't sure whether Santa Ana is north or south of L.A.

[iBallasticwolf2]

Looks like some button copy here.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-https://www.google.com/maps/@39.911056,-75.155126,3a,21.9y,92.4h,100.09t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1AVysAtQQ-iIdGbJaNLHwQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[jakeroot]

Here's a positively ancient sign in Olympia, Washington with an I-5 shield covering up what I presume was US-99:

[noelbotevera]

Old PA button copy - Carlisle area (this is about half an hour north of where I live)

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.187355,-77.201637,3a,33.1y,114.21h,90.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2KOfyl-4z-r0ePXfIbSkCw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.187577,-77.196083,3a,33y,156.48h,91.55t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNLwfmWAbvizPGJOgqSWS6g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[noelbotevera]

Here's a positively ancient sign in Olympia, Washington with an I-5 shield covering up what I presume was US-99:

Post style was out by the mid-late 60s - US 99 was being upgraded to I-5 in some spots by this time. This place was one of them. Was this near I-5 (entrance ramp, nearby surface street), because I do know a little bit about that area with roads, and I am very optimistic that is US 99 (if you were able to peek under the patch/remove the patch).

[jakeroot]

Post style was out by the mid-late 60s - US 99 was being upgraded to I-5 in some spots by this time. This place was one of them. Was this near I-5 (entrance ramp, nearby surface street), because I do know a little bit about that area with roads, and I am very optimistic that is US 99 (if you were able to peek under the patch/remove the patch).

Take a look for yourself; it's within about a mile of the 5. Not sure if the 99 was a freeway through Olympia at any point, however. If not, perhaps State Avenue was signed as 99 before the freeway was built.

[thefraze_1020]

Post style was out by the mid-late 60s - US 99 was being upgraded to I-5 in some spots by this time. This place was one of them. Was this near I-5 (entrance ramp, nearby surface street), because I do know a little bit about that area with roads, and I am very optimistic that is US 99 (if you were able to peek under the patch/remove the patch).

Take a look for yourself; it's within about a mile of the 5. Not sure if the 99 was a freeway through Olympia at any point, however. If not, perhaps State Avenue was signed as 99 before the freeway was built.

The Olympia Freeway was opened in the late 1958, and originally signed as US99. It wasn't signed as I-5 until the mid 1960's.

I have a picture from the July-August 1958 issue of "Washington Highways" that is relevant to this topic, but I can't figure out how to attach it (it is a jpeg on my computer).

[thefraze_1020]

BTW Jakeroot, you should add that picture to our "old Washington signs" thread.

[SignGeek101]

https://goo.gl/maps/Acs9A

https://goo.gl/maps/O2hQe

For 30-40 year old shields, not doing too bad.

[thenetwork]

This trio of overheads, in Akron, OH, have been hanging since at least 1977.  I am willing to say that these signs have been up since 1975, when the nearby Rolling Acres Mall opened on Romig Road -- the last mall to be built in Akron:

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.060443,-81.580297,3a,75y,234.85h,93.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spz3QCb8DJ-ZCAMX3jjnQjw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Also of note, these signs have outlasted Rolling Acres Mall, which pretty much died a slow, horrible death several years ago. Like the signs, the dead, abandoned mall still stands, though the signs are still in far better shape than the mall.

[PurdueBill]

This trio of overheads, in Akron, OH, have been hanging since at least 1977.  I am willing to say that these signs have been up since 1975, when the nearby Rolling Acres Mall opened on Romig Road -- the last mall to be built in Akron:

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.060443,-81.580297,3a,75y,234.85h,93.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spz3QCb8DJ-ZCAMX3jjnQjw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Also of note, these signs have outlasted Rolling Acres Mall, which pretty much died a slow, horrible death several years ago. Like the signs, the dead, abandoned mall still stands, though the signs are still in far better shape than the mall.

Bad news from just the last couple months.  They gone.  Replaced with Clearview, save for the 261 shield.

[vtk]

This trio of overheads, in Akron, OH, have been hanging since at least 1977.  I am willing to say that these signs have been up since 1975, when the nearby Rolling Acres Mall opened on Romig Road -- the last mall to be built in Akron:

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.060443,-81.580297,3a,75y,234.85h,93.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spz3QCb8DJ-ZCAMX3jjnQjw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Also of note, these signs have outlasted Rolling Acres Mall, which pretty much died a slow, horrible death several years ago. Like the signs, the dead, abandoned mall still stands, though the signs are still in far better shape than the mall.

Bad news from just the last couple months.  They gone.  Replaced with Clearview, save for the 261 shield.

Do the new ones have rounded corners?

[thenetwork]

This trio of overheads, in Akron, OH, have been hanging since at least 1977.  I am willing to say that these signs have been up since 1975, when the nearby Rolling Acres Mall opened on Romig Road -- the last mall to be built in Akron:

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.060443,-81.580297,3a,75y,234.85h,93.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spz3QCb8DJ-ZCAMX3jjnQjw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Also of note, these signs have outlasted Rolling Acres Mall, which pretty much died a slow, horrible death several years ago. Like the signs, the dead, abandoned mall still stands, though the signs are still in far better shape than the mall.

Bad news from just the last couple months.  They gone.  Replaced with Clearview, save for the 261 shield.

Oh well, nothing lives forever.  Those Romig Road signs were unusual as Akron tended to use CAPS on all of it's city-made signs over the decades.

I found another assembly that may or may not now be one of the oldest in Akron:  OH-93 @ Kenmore Blvd:

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.047769,-81.547759,3a,75y,197.51h,80.33t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBAGpizC56qXyjYL_bLg3Fw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

The physical assembly is definitely as old as when this "bypass" over the railroad tracks was done in the 50s or 60s.  Not sure how old the signs are, or if those are new panels affixed over the old ones, but they do spell out OH-93 in text form, which was ODOT standard in the 50s and early-mid 60s for such signs.

[Mergingtraffic]

I got some goodies on my trip to FL.







[url=https://flic.kr/p/vcmH6F]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/uWSCt3]US-17, US-92 colored shields. Davenport, FL. Date on back of sign says 1993 just before FL stopped producing colored shields in August of that year. by mergingtraffic, on Flickr

and rare button copy from 12/1993.

Rare button copy in Florida. US-41 EB at Florida's Turnpike. West of Miami. Date on back of sign is December 1993. Sign is reflective. by mergingtraffic, on Flickr

[freebrickproductions]

Still tons of button-copy in the Birmingham, AL area, especially along I-20/I-59 between the I-65 interchange and Bessemer and along I-65 through the downtown area. Still got a few button-copy shields too!
Button-copy Signage by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Button-copy Signage by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Button-copy Signage by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Button-copy Signage by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Button-copy Signage by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Button-copy Signage by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Button-copy Signage by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Button-copy Signage by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Button-copy Signage by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Some old street signs in Bessemer, AL:
Old Street Signs by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Old Street Signs by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Old Street Signs by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Cats-eyed signage in Talladega, AL:
Court Street:
Cats-eyed Advance Warning Sign by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Cats-eyed Advance Warning Sign by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

South Street:
Cats-eyed Crossbuck by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Cats-eyed Crossbuck by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Old street signs in Stevenson, AL:
Old Street Signs by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Old Street Signs by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

What appears to be an embossed stop sign at the post office in Hollywood, AL:
Old Stop Sign by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

[thenetwork]

^^ I have always loved/preferred that shade of green on the BGS's.  Missouri used to use that shade a lot in the 60s & 70s as well as PA.